Sudbury shelter for alcoholics still in the works

Sudbury is inching closer to opening a harm reduction shelter, or a wet shelter, that will help alcoholics manage their addictions.

The chief executive officer of the Canadian Mental Health Association Sudbury-Manitoulin branch said she expects the program to open within the next three to six months.

Marion Quigley noted the shelter will help some of downtown Sudbury's homeless population.

Several people that are in the downtown core [who] have addiction issues really have nowhere to go that is safe for them [where] they can continue to drink [and] be monitored.

Quigley said the harm reduction or wet shelterprogram will provide addicts with access to primary care.

The shelter will also offer counselling and housing.

'A better system of care'

The chief executive officer at the North East Local Health Integration Network agrees Sudbury has a vulnerable portion of the population that need help in dealing with alcohol addiction.

"It is a real travesty that we are using very valuable resources, but not responding to their needs, Louise Paquette said.

In one case, she said, a 45-year-old man died after being arrested by police and using emergency services over a dozen times.

It's stories like this one that have compelled various groups in the city to finally come together, she said.

"We have to wonder could we have provided a better system of care had we worked together and looked at this individual and said, so why is this happening?"

The co-ordinator of shelters and homelessness programs for the city, Gail Spencer, said "it's very important that everyone has a safe place to live, a warm place to be out of the elements."

Plans for the shelter are ongoing. The LHIN says another update should come in the spring.